Daniel Ellsberg takes the stand for war protester from Olympia

Daniel Ellsberg takes the stand for war protester from Olympia

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/08/13/1299808/history-at-protester-trial.html

A historic figure from the Vietnam War era testified Thursday in
Pierce County District Court that sometimes it's necessary to break
the law to achieve a greater good.

ADAM LYNN
Published: 08/13/10

A historic figure from the Vietnam War era testified Thursday in
Pierce County District Court that sometimes it's necessary to break
the law to achieve a greater good.

Former military analyst Daniel Ellsberg took the stand on behalf of
Olympia resident Patricia Imani. She was arrested and charged with
disorderly conduct for stepping onto an Interstate 5 offramp two
years ago to block a flatbed truck carrying an Army Stryker vehicle
to Fort Lewis for repairs. The Stryker vehicle had been shipped to
the Port of Olympia on its way back from Iraq.

Imani, 48, admits her actions but contends she committed no crime
because they were necessary to stop a greater evil. She testified
Thursday she believes the war in Iraq is wrong and that blocking the
Stryker was a peaceful way to protest the conflict.

"I did feel this was necessary," Imani testified. "My sole intention
was to prevent harm. It was urgent then. It's urgent now."

She faces up to 90 days in jail if convicted of the misdemeanor charge.

Her attorney, Lawrence Hildes, called Ellsberg to the stand to
bolster Imani's "defense of necessity."

In 1971, Ellsberg, now 79, was working for the Rand Corp. when he
leaked to The New York Times a top-secret government report on the
United States' involvement in Vietnam.

That report, dubbed the Pentagon Papers, revealed the United States
was expanding the war in Vietnam without the public's knowledge and
that past administrations had deliberately misled people about their
intentions in Southeast Asia.

Some scholars credit the publication of the Pentagon Papers with
contributing to public dissatisfaction with the war that ultimately
led to the United States pulling out of the Vietnam War.

Ellsberg, who went on to become a peace activist, testified Thursday
that the Iraq war "is a clear-cut crime against the peace."

Civil disobedience is necessary when lawful means – lobbying
Congress, voting for anti-war candidates, making public statements –
fail, Ellsberg testified.

"Without it, the chances of success – of saving lives and reducing
harm – were even less," Ellsberg said under questioning from Hildes.

He conceded on cross-examination by deputy prosecutor Daniel Womac
that copying the Pentagon Papers and providing them to the news media
put no one in immediate physical danger.

Womac intimated with his question that Imani's blocking a freeway
offramp might have endangered others. No one was injured during her
protest, which took place about midnight near Joint Base-Lewis McChord.

Womac also asked Imani if she'd considered legal ways of registering
her opposition to the war.

Imani testified she frequently writes to her representatives in
Congress, votes for anti-war candidates and speaks out against the war.
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Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644 adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com

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